Sonido Café
by Musa Silver-Hawk
Summary: The characters of Bleach in a café. What could possibly go wrong? This is an AU and characters will most definitely be OOC. Read if you will. Romance and hilarity will ensue. Enjoy... or not. your pick. Love yall! Read and review please!
1. Preface

**Sonido Café**

**Musa Silver-Hawk**

Preface

Hey, ye smell that? Tha' cinnamon-nutmeggy apple smell? Tha's an apple tart. They're really tasty! OH! An' these over here are snicker-doodles: depending on 'ow they're made, they can either be very good or very BAD! Don' worry though! These are very, very, VERY good! Ah, it seems as though yer attention 'as been captured by the cakes. Carrot cakes, strawberry shortcakes, pound cakes, ice-cream cakes, upside-down cakes, spice cakes, chocolate and vanilla cakes, sponge cakes, pineapple velvet cakes, bunts, cheesecakes, coffee cakes, angel food cakes, red velvet cakes, fatty pants cakes… ye get the picture. There are also cupcakes of every variety. An' te go with all these treats, there is a plethora of widely assorted teas, coffees, and other beverages.

People come te this café hoping te come away in better spirits than when they entered and, on the whole, they do. Only sometimes does a customer come away with negative feelin's. Now, this could be attributed ta a brash employee who doesn' know when ta shut 'is trap. It could also be the employee who bungles the orders and serves them te the wrong tables. However, those who have had "bad experiences" at this café have been few and far between.

These are the stories that have ensued at this place of plenty.


	2. Cake 1 Part 1

Cake 1

A Teal Thank You

He sat with his head in his arms. His eyes were closed and he was on the verge of the most pleasant sleep that he had all week. He knew, somewhere in the far reaches of his mind that he really shouldn't be falling asleep but right now, his conscience was subconscious… as was he. Ah fuck it. A light snore made it past his lips and all around, people knew that he was no longer mentally with them. He had been pushed to the bone at work and hadn't been given a break for five hours short of five days. The five hours mentioned were those he spent when he got home, slept, woke up, and ate breakfast before scrambling out the door again to slave over some project his boss needed him to do.

"Sir," a quiet female voice said gently into his ear. "Sir, yer ear is in yer cake." Heeding her words, he lifted his head, moved the plate, and cleaned his ear all with his eyes still closed. His head hit the table with a thud but he couldn't care less. The girl, who had told him of his mishap, sighed and took the cake off the table. If he wasn't going to eat it, she would. Besides, it looked like he was in need of a good rest.

"Yuzu, could you stop Renji from pummeling that customer at table three. It appears that it's the same schmuck that insulted Renji's last batch of muffins without even trying one." The girl looked up from her cake and to the direction of table three. Renji Abarai had a smug looking S.O.B by the collar and had his free hand prepared to break the dudes nose. Yuzu put her cake down and calmly walked over to the red haired man before jumping slightly to get both arms around his bicep. She hoisted herself on his shoulder and peered down at the schmoe that had been heckling Renji.

"Eeh? Renji, what's the matter? Did this unfortunate young man say mean things about yer baking?" In response, Renji just tightened his grip on the man's shirt. Yuzu placed her hand over Renji's and gently unfurled his fingers from the other man's collar. The look she sent the customer could have curdled milk.

"I suggest that ye give Ren-kun an apology and never come back." She smiled sweetly and even a hint of a laugh could be heard in what she said next. "If ye do, I dunno WHAT I migh' do te ya!" She waved as the man tor off awkwardly for the door: tripping over his feet as he went. Yuzu put on confused face.

"What did I say?" She asked herself as she hopped off of Renji's shoulder so that she could go back to eating her cake. It wasn't there. In the cake's place sat a little pink haired girl that looked no older than two years old. She had white and orange icing on her nose and in the corners of her mouth. The girl smiled childishly and held the plate up to Yuzu as though asking for more.

"KEN-CHAN! Yer daughter has gotten inte the cakes again!" A crash was heard from the kitchens as a tall, ruggedly handsome man wearing a flour covered apron, jeans, and white T-shirt and several hair clips appeared at the door to aforementioned place. He had a smudge of something green over his eye and a line of red across his cheek. Kenpachi Zaraki: pastry decorator. The brutish man looked down and wiped his hands on his already dirty apron. He picked the child up with one hand and tossed the little one over his shoulder like a sack of flour. The babe laughed and squealed in delight at the short-lived flight. Kenpachi glanced at Yuzu.

"I'll put 'er back in 'er play pen." Was the only apology that the young waitress got. She picked up the plate and took it into the kitchen to clean. Yuzu smiled as she heard her sister taking orders and the playful banter of the customers. She loved this little café that her brother owned. She looked around the kitchen: Ken-chan was putting the finishing touches on a birthday cake that would be delivered later that day, Renji was puttering over muffin and bread tins, searching for something probably. She saw her sister rush in with orders to fill as her brother's voice wafted over from the counter. She heard the bell ring and someone shout.

"ZARAKI! Where's that birthday cake?" Shawlong Qufang: delivery person #1. Without warning, a white box wrapped in a pink bow came flying out of the kitchen. Shawlong caught it and strapped it to his bike and took off. The Sonido Café was known for their excellent delivery service.

While all of this was happening, the man mentioned at the very begging of this tale slept soundly. Moving only to reposition himself.

He woke up just as the last customer was exiting the shop. He looked up and rubbed his eyes. How long was he asleep? The sun was already setting and he had to be at work early tomorrow with a finished project which he hadn't even worked on. His head hit the table with a thunk. Another sleepless night was ahead of him and he seriously couldn't handle it.

"Oi!" He looked up again. An orange haired youth stood in front of him, a smaller, female version stood to his right and a female, black haired, look-a-like stood to his left. "Oi, we're closed. All o' our staff 'as left and so 'ave all the customers. If ye need a lift meh car is out back." The boy held out his hand awkwardly. "Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm the owner of this café. Who're you?" After realizing that the kid hadn't sneezed at the beginning, the man reached out his own hand and grasped Ichigo's.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. Indentured servant at the Aizen Penitentiary."


	3. Cake 1 Part 2

The next day, the café was alive and bustling. Not only was Shawlong running deliveries but two others as well. Neliel tu Odelschvank or "Nel" for short: delivery person #2 and Nnoitra Gilga: delivery person #3.

In the kitchen, pastry designers Rose and Love were trying to keep flour and other flying baking ingredients from their masterpieces. Renji was baking up five batches of muffins and assorted breads. Shinji Hirako was popping pies, tarts, and quiches in and out of the oven faster than you could say kiss. Boxes were flying from the kitchen into the arms of Shawlong, Nel, and Nnoitra as they took countless deliveries from the café. Yuzu and Karin took orders with the help of Shuhei Hisagi and Illford Grantz.

"Shu-chan! Table three's order is on the counter! It's a marble peanutbutter mint cupcake and red tea!" Shuhei practically flew to the counter as he whisked the order away. The man at table three was brooding over a laptop with a pen stuck between his teeth and his fingers drumming on an open notebook. Shuhei placed the order behind the man's computer and alerted him of this. The man nodded and Shuhei flew off to tend to other customers.

He looked up from his laptop and reached for his tea. He also scanned his surroundings: searching for an orange haired youth. He hadn't thanked hthe boy for driving him home last night.

Grimmjow saw Ichigo's sisters fluttering about but….

"Excuse me sir, do you need anything?" Grimmjow looked up with his cupcakes hanging out of his mouth making him look like a cat that caught a mouse. Yuzu had to stifle a giggle. Grimmjow bit down and removed the cupcake.

"Is your brother in today?" he asked. Yuzu shook her head.

"Ichi-nii is… out. He's with a… friend in Nagoya. He should be back in about two days." She said all this with a small smile playing about her lips. Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow at the sister's suggestive tone. Two days huh? Hd could do that. In the meantime, he would have to think of how he would phrase his 'thank you'.

"SHINJI-KUN! I need an apple pear tart ASAP!" was what was heard before the little carrot top flew off.

Two days came and went and, on the third day, Grimmjow came in prepared to deliver his thank you. He did not. He wasn't able to. All through the day Ichigo was tailed by a small girl with black hair and big eyes. She hung on his arm as he walked, hovered around him as he took take-out orders, and chattered at him when he was free. 'Probably his girlfriend.' Grimmjow reasoned. 'Why else would he put up with it?' But Grimmjow didn't really think that that was the case. Ichigo didn't once acknowledge the girl: not once did he smile at her and when she spoke to him, his eyes began to wander. Grimmjow thought that once, those auburn eyes had met his. He didn't give himself the false hope that others might have allowed in that situation. The Sonido Café was bustling yet again and Ichigo's eyes could have landed on any number of people.

Grimmjow left: hoping for better luck tomorrow. There was nonsuch luck. That girl was there again and again the next day. She was there for the entire week! Grimmjow got pissed. So, one Saturday, when there was relatively little activity, Grimmjow marched up to the cash register and leaned over dangerously close. The little black haired girl hid behind Ichigo and squeaked. Grimmjow took a deep breath.

"Thank ye fer driving me home last week!" He blurted out. Ichigo laughed and held his hand to his heart.

"I wondered why ye came in 'ere everyday. Yuzu told me that ya came in the day after an' asked fer me." Grimmjow nodded firmly.

"I needed te thank ye properly. I'd feel weird if I didn'."

"Ichi, who is this person?" The black haired girl spoke up timidly. "I do not like him. He looks scary." She looped her arm through Ichigo's and held on tight. Ichigo shoved her right off.

"Rukia, just 'cause our parents would LIKE us to get married doesn' mean that we WILL get married." Ichigo turned to Grimmjow. "Sorry 'bout this. I go ta Nagoya fer three days an' THIS ONE decides ta tag along fer the return trip." Rukia pouted.

"Don't lie to him Ichi! You love me!" Grimmjow chose that moment to slip out. It was quite obvious that Ichigo wasn't in love with the girl and that she annoyed him. She annoyed Grimmjow as well. She was way to clingy and she spoke in a really whiny voice.

()()()

When he entered his apartment he went straight to his computer to order a box of marble peanutbutter mint cupcakes. He suspected that Shawlong or Nnoitra would deliver to him. He had discovered that Nel only delivered to places within two miles of the shop. Shawlong and Nnoitra did the deliveries everywhere else. Half an hour later, his door bell rang. Shrugging out of his seat, Grimmjow walked to the door and opened it. On the other side of the door stood a pirate. He wore a green bandana that came down to cover his left eye and he had sapphire studs in his ears. Under his arm was a box: the cupcakes.

"2,000 ¥." Nnoitra said as he stepped into Grimmjow's apartment. Nnoitra sat down and looked at Grimmjow expectantly. Grimmjow handed Nnoitra the money but Nnoitra didn't move.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques: head designer for the Aizen and Co. fashion line. 28 years old, single, as far as anyone is concerned. Sexual preference: unknown." Nnoitra turned to face Grimmjow.

"I know ya know my name but ye can call me Nnoi for short. Here's my card. Call me if you need me." With that, Nnoitra got up and kissed Grimmjow on the cheek and headed out. Did Nnoitra do that with every person he made a delivery for?

()()()

"Well, I must say tha' I am surprised." Almost the entire staff of the Sonido Café were seated around the various tables after work on Sunday. Shinji was seated on the checkout counter with baby Yachiru in his arms. It was he who had spoken. He plucked an eclair off of the plate that was next to him and stuffed whole into his mouth. Illford continued Shinji's line of thought.

"I never thought that I would see the day when ye shoved little Miss Rukia the Oblivious off yer arm and told 'er what fer, ya know?" Ichigo hung his head. He really disliked Rukia. She had been alright when they were children but, when their parents came up with the idea of marriage, he died and she went to heaven. Ichigo wasn't even sure if he liked girls or not. He felt someone slap him upside the head.

"Yer such a wuss, Kurosaki." Renji scolded. It was he who had slapped Ichigo. "Ye say tha' ye hate the girl yet ye didn' do anythin' to shrug 'er off till yesterday." At those words the door to the shop opened and Nel stepped in. Behind her she dragged a sleeping bag and a suitcase. In her "free" arm she held a stuffed teddy bear that was beginning to loose it's fluff. She entered the café fully and sat down on the condiments counter. Silence hung in the air for a while. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of chewing and the berating of Ichigo on his pathetic behaviour in handling women.

"I think the reason that Ichigo finally cracked was because of that teal haired gentleman that keeps coming in here." Ichigo's head hit the table that he was sitting at. His cheeks turned bright pink and he groaned. No flippin' way. But, what Neliel had suggested did make sense. When Grimmjow had thanked him, Ichigo had felt his stomach flip. Thinking about those teal eyes made his stomach flip again. Ichigo reached for the nearest treat next to him; a marble peanutbutter mint cupcake. He heard someone snicker. Nnoitra.

"Those are the same cakes tha' Grimm orders. Gave 'im a box of 'em yesterday after 'e left. Must say, 'e's got a sweet pad." Nnoitra licked his lips, remembering the smooth skin of Grimmjow's cheek. "'e's 'bout as much of a pushover as ye are, Ichi. But, I think, 'e's just shy." Ichigo let his head fall all the way back. Grimmjow had only visited the shop for about a week and already everyone knew him. Ichigo heard someone hum and turned to see Shuhei asleep on Renji's shoulder. Time for everyone to go home.

"Guys," Renji asked shoving Shuhei to the ground. "Who's turn is it to house Nel? Illford had her last." Shuhei lifted himself off the floor and raised his hand. Nel was the only member of the staff that didn't have a permanent home. She roomed with one person of the staff for one month until the month was over; then she would bunk with the next person. The cycle started Ichigo, Renji, Shinji, Illford, Shuhei, Nnoitra, Shawlong, and ended with Kenpachi.


	4. Cake 1 Part 3

There he sat with his head in his arms. Sure the kitchen counter wasn't the most comfortable but hey, he was tired and he had his marble peanutbutter mint cupcakes coming soon.

Nnoitra zoomed along on his bike. His little kitty cat had called for another delivery and deliver he shall. He wondered why Grimm always ordered the same thing but hey, it was cute. This time instead of a plain white box, Nnoitra had written a message on the lid. He reached Grimmjow's apartment in time and rang to door bell; thankful that he didn't have to go back to work for another hour after this. He readjusted his bandana over his eye and waited for Grimmjow to open the door. when five minutes went by and Grimmjow still hadn't opened the door, Nnoitra turned the handle and was pleasantly surprised to find that the door opened. Nnoitra stepped in and found Grimmjow asleep on his counter. Taking note of the crisp Autumn air and the oddly cool air in the apartment, Nnoitra placed the box of cupcakes on the counter and draped his trench coat over Grimmjow's shoulders. Next, he found Grimm's wallet and took out the allotted amount and wrote Grimm another note.

When he woke up half an hour later, he found the box in front of him. He pulled it closer to him and felt a weight fall off his shoulders. He looked down and picked up the trench coat. Something fell out of the pocket. Too many surprises! He picked up the paper and unfolded it.

To my little Kitty Cat,

I took the correct amount o' money from yer wallet so don' worry if ye see some missin'. Also, it's a polar ice cap in 'ere so I gave you me coat te keep ya warm.

Enjoy yer cupcakes

Nnoitra Gilga

Grimmjow sighed as he placed the note on the counter and pulled the cupcake box closer to him. Grimmjow face-palmed as he looked at the lid.

To the cutesy little kitty that stole my heart.

This was too much. Grimmjow opened the box and took a giant bite out of the first cupcake he grabbed. He moaned in satisfaction. Something about these cupcakes just put his mind at ease.

"Oh, yer awake." Nnoitra stood in the door way to the kitchen. "I stayed 'cause I wanted te be 'ere when ya woke up." Nnoitra sidled up and sat down at the counter. "Ye know, when I'm not makin' deliveries, I make cupcakes." He leaned over and took a bite out of the cake that Grimm was holding. He licked his lips to get the icing off. The look on Nnoitra's face grew a little serious. "I've got competition fer ya. Ichi wants ye as well." He took a cupcake for himself and bit into it. "Ichi's a bit shy though and won' act on 'is emotions but," he looked Grimmjow in the eye. "I can' take the chance tha' 'e will act on 'em." Without another word, Nnoitra leaned forward and placed a kiss on Grimmjow's lips. Grimmjow was too stunned to do anything at first. After a couple seconds though, he pushed Nnoitra away. A heavy blush settled over his cheeks.

"Why d'ya do tha'?" He demanded refusing to look Nnoitra in the face. Nnoitra made Grimmjow look him in the eye.

"Because I like ye, ya moron. I don' wan' anyone else te have ye e'cept me." Grimmjow removed Nnoitra's hands from his face.

"Next time I order, I'll give ye my answer."


End file.
